Journalists, especially early in their careers can easily be tricked or decieved by their interviewees if they are inexperienced, however if the interviewer also knows the tricks of the trade they are able to turn around every bit of opposition the subject throws at them.
I recently read an article on the International Journalist Network website which explores these tricks that can be pulled on interviewees if they are refusing to cooperate;
When interviewees take an aggressive posture by denouncing the press in general (e.g., “Can’t you ever get quotes right?” or “You people are only interested in bad news and in getting people.”), try to keep calm, let them vent their hostility and then proceed courteously with the interview.When an interviewee turns the question around and seeks to interview you, the journalist (“What do you think?” or “What would you do?”), you can reply, “I’m sure our readers are much more interested in your opinion on that.”When an interviewee tries to go off the record, you can explain the need for attribution and urge that the material be placed on the record for the sake of credibility, or return to the subject later with a rephrased or related question to get the information on the record. You also may flatly refuse to take off-the-record information.
